Chris Paul gets emotional as Spurs locker-room pay tribute after historic achievement
At 39, Chris Paul climbs further up the ranks to become the second all-time assist leader in the NBA, surpassing Jason Kidd.
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Chris Paul reaches 2nd rank on all-time assist list
In their latest outing against the New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs point guard Chris Paul threw 10 dimes to secure a victory, ending their three-game losing streak. Not only that, but Chris Paul also surpassed Jason Kidd for second place on the NBA’s all-time assist list, with a total of 12,092 assists in his nearly 20-year-long tenure in the league.
If there was any doubt about CP3’s ability to perform at his age, it was put to rest yesterday when he threw the historic dime to Victor Wembanyama, which converted it into three points and placed him second on the all-time assist list, behind only John Stockton himself.
Chris Paul was visibly emotional on this memorable occasion and shared a few heartfelt words with his teammates and coaching staff in the locker room on achieving the milestone.
I swear, man. I’m so grateful. To be away from my family, y’all became my family. I know I’m a lot to deal with on the court. But I just love to hoop, and I hope y’all get this opportunity to play as long as I have. Thank y’all so much.
Chris Paul said post-game per SI
Needless to say, tears and Gatorade flowed in the locker room to celebrate Paul’s incredible achievement and commemorate his long and legendary NBA career.
Congrats @CP3 on an incredible achievement ? pic.twitter.com/8On7ZcvGUp
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 9, 2024
To honor “The Point God” legacy, the team presented him with a plaque and a ball featuring the names of every teammate he ever assisted on his way to becoming the second all-time assist provider.
Chris Paul not too sure about John Stockton’s stats for Utah Jazz
For a long time now, there have been multiple allegations about star NBA players in the ’90s pumping their stats, and Paul’s reply shared the same sentiment. Back in 2019, after becoming the 8th all-time assist leader at 8,972 dimes, CP3 was asked by a reporter to comment on John Stockton‘s 15,806 assists, to which Paul took a playful jab.
I don’t like saying never, but ain’t nobody catching that. I don’t know who did the statistics in Utah.
Chris Paul remarked
Rockets’ Chris Paul moved into 8th place on NBA all-time assist list w/ 8,972 but lamented how far he still is from his goal of unseating John Stockton (15,806) at No. 1: “I don’t like saying never, but ain’t nobody catching that. I don’t know who did the statistics in Utah.” pic.twitter.com/ElDhMtWTr7
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) February 12, 2019
The Point God’s comment reignited discussions about how people tallied assist numbers in the past compared to the meticulous tracking systems used in modern NBA games. CP3 has always been vocal about his opinions, on and off the court, which is another thing fans appreciate about Chris Paul.
Although, to an average fan, it might seem like CP is closer to his goal of becoming the all-time assist leader than ever, but believe us, we did the rough math. If Chris Paul can average over a miraculous 600 AST per season, he might be able to break Stockton’s record by 2030-31. The Point God sure has a challenging path ahead if he really sets his sights on matching that tally.
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Anubhav Bajpeyee
(211 Articles Published)